Testing every Texas nursing home resident and staff for COVID-19 could cost $29M, data shows

AUSTIN, Texas - A new state by state breakdown from the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living shows that testing every nursing home resident and staff in Texas for coronavirus could cost over $29 million.

According to data from the breakdown, Texas has 1,219 nursing facilities with 93,561 residents and 99,780 staff, and the state would need 94,780 tests. The breakdown estimatest that each test would cost $150, bringing the total cost to $29,001,150.

In a press release, the agencies stated that the cost of ongoing coronavirus testing of nursing home residents and staff is unsustainable without additional funding and support from federal and state governments.

"Even the CDC’s recent recommendation to test all nursing home staff weekly would cost more than $1 billion every month," the press release said.

The mounting cost of testing has led both agencies to reach out to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services and the Federal Emergency Management Agency for relief funding.

“For months now, we have been advocating for expanded and priority testing in nursing homes to protect our residents and caregivers, but this is a significant undertaking and cost for nursing homes to shoulder on their own," said Mark Parkinson, President, and CEO of American Health Care Association and National Center of Assisted Living. "That’s why we have asked HHS to grant our request for a $10 billion emergency relief to help fund expedited testing and the additional staffing needed to respond to this unprecedented health crisis.”

The breakdown also shows that nationwide testing could cost an estimated $440 million.

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